Girl Talk
by The Karnstein
Summary: One of the many reasons why Seras and Integra never talk about boys, or relationships.


**Girl Talk**

Integra wasn't exactly the ideal person to have this type of conversation with. However, that incident at the dinner table gave Seras a feeling that perhaps she and her employer were closer than she thought. So before the head of the Hellsing Organization left the room, Seras rose from the table and called out to her. This sudden outburst stopped Integra dead in her tracks and she turned to face her young soldier.

"Seras?"

The vampire hesitated for a moment. Her blue eyes nervously scanned the room, as if she would find the correct wording somewhere nearby. "Uh, um... Sir Integra," she stammered.

Integra tilted her head to the side, passing a very confused look to the other woman. _What could possibly be so difficult to spit out?_

"Sir Integra, may I... talk to you, for a moment longer?" Seras felt the redness building in her cold face. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea.

"Talk?" Integra adjusted her spectacles before moving back towards the table. "Is now really an appropriate time for this, Seras?"

As expected, this really wasn't a good time for this conversation. Seras quickly shook her head. "N-No, I guess it isn't. It can wait for another time, don't worry!"

This was quite unusual behavior, even for a half-starved, newborn Draculina. Integra realized that whatever was on the girl's mind obviously went beyond licking a few drops of her employer's blood. And this was certainly a curious matter. The knight pulled a chair out from the table and she took her seat beside the vampire. Her hands folded out infront of her and she leaned forward. This sudden behavior made Seras even redder in the face.

"What is this all about, Seras?"

_Oh bloody hell, she's going to think it's something important! _Seras groaned, shaking both hands at Integra. "No, no! It can wait! It's nothing serious!"

At that, Integra cracked a smile. This was interesting indeed. "It can't possibly take long. Tell me."

Seras sighed. She realized that mess she had got herself into. If she didn't answer now, Integra would only pull rank. Part of her wanted to hit her forehead against the table. At least with her face in the mahogany, she could pretend that Integra wasn't there anymore.

_You asked for it. You may as well go through with it._ she took a breath, then began to speak. "Well, I was wondering about Captain Bernadotte."

Integra rose an eyebrow. The Captain of the Wild Geese? Why was he of any interest to her? She heard rumors that while training the men, Seras had the misfortune of listening to their vulgar music. As annoying as that might have been, it was still a trivial matter that didn't need to be brought up to the master. Seras didn't seem to be that petty, so clearly it had to be something else.

"What about him?" Integra asked.

Seras glanced down at the floor. A nervous smile split across her face and she held back a few nervous laughs. "Ahaha, well, eh... what do you think of him?"

Integra narrowed her eyes. Why on earth was Seras behaving this way? It was quite odd, even for the ditzy, girlish character she was. "Where are you going with this?"

Upon seeing that look on Integra's face, Seras's eyes went large. _Damn it! She is not in the mood for this sort of talk at all! God, Seras, just spit it out already!_ She lowered her head in her embarassment, pressing the tips of her index fingers against each other.

"Well..." she cleared her throat before continuing. "Do you find him... handsome?"

Now it was Integra's turn to feel the need to smack her head against the table. This is what Seras called her back for? To talk about men? "I hope for you sake that you are not implying that I have an attraction towards Captain Bernadotte."

At that comment, Seras' jaw dropped. This was not at all where she wanted to go with this. "No! God! I would never, I wouldn't even think of..." she stammered, her hands waving frantically with every word. "You must believe me, I would never accuse you of-!"

"Please," Integra still kept that very annoyed expression on her face. "Just get to the point already."

"Ah, yes..." Seras twisted uncomfortably in her seat before she started to talk again. "Sir, I was just curious, is all. I mean, I know he is a mercenary and a co-worker and one mustn't have an attraction towards someone who is both of those things, but in Rio de Janeiro..." she paused for a second, just to remember the brief time that she and Pip spent alone together. She sighed, then smiled. "We talked, and, well, he made me feel... human again."

It was that comment that softened Integra's gaze. She realized that these past few months hadn't exactly been easy on Seras. First her death, then reanimation, and coping with the fact that she could no longer live as a human did. While Integra believed that it was time for Seras to accept her true nature, she realized how difficult it was going to be.

Seras however was still lost in the moment. "After the battle with Alhambra, we retreated to a small town. Master said he had to speak with you, so Captain Bernadotte and I went for a walk." her heart felt as though it was fluttering in her chest. "He made me laugh. He looked at me like I was just a regular, ordinary girl. Not some..." the rest of her words died in her mouth. If she had spoke them, it would have tainted the fond memory. She didn't want that.

"You are fond of him," Integra commented. "That is understandable. If his men love him so, he certainly has finer qualities. Perhaps more than we give him credit for."

The comment made Seras beam. "Yes! If he didn't have some good parts to him, The Wild Geese wouldn't be so loyal, would they?"

Integra smiled back at her. It was a rather cute moment, for lack of better words. She never saw the young girl so happy.

"Are you in love with him?" Integra asked. It was a question she regretted asking immediately.

_"WHAT!"_ Seras shouted, nearly leaping out of her seat in the process. "No! No! There is no way! He's nasty! He sings that awful bloody song! And his men are just as bad as he is! And lord knows what he does in his spare time! Or with other women! _Agh!"_

At that, Integra lowered her forehead into the palm of her hand. This ridiculous behavior was damn near laughable. It took everything in Integra's power to keep from laughing at her. When Seras finished her tirade, she noticed that Integra's shoulders were trembling. Although her employer was not openly laughing at her, Seras couldn't help but feel some humiliation. It was then she made a vital mistake.

"What about you and Master?"

Just as the words left her mouth, a deathly silence filled the room. All the humor had died in a split second. Seras slapped both of her hands over her mouth just as Integra slowly lifted her head from her hand. The head of Hellsing glared hard into the eyes of the young vampire.

_"...What?"_

She was undead. Nothing could possibly kill her, and yet Seras felt as though one wrong word was going to send her right to Hell. The look on Integra's face was pure anger. Seras had stepped over a line and it was too late to take it back.

"I was just... thinking..." she spoke, although her gloved hands muffled most of her words. She was too stunned to even lower her arms. "Well, you both have been together for a long time, I was just wondering..."

The chair Integra was seated in was pushed back. The sound of the legs against the hard floor made Seras yelp like a frightened poodle. Integra stood up straight and glared down at her.

"First of all," Integra did not raise her voice, although the tone was far from kind. "Know your place, and _never _speak to me like that again."

Seras said nothing, but nodded her head.

"Secondly," Integra continued, "Your master and I have known each other for a long time. This is true. But let me assure you of this," she glared harder, and it sent shivers rushing up Seras' spine. "I do _not_ love vampires. I am not _attracted_ to vampires. And I am most certainly _not_ in love with, or attracted to your _master._ To be so would be spitting on the graves of my father, my grandfather, and all the generations that ran this organization since the days of Van Hellsing. To accuse me of doing such a thing is _insulting_, and is not something I will tolerate. _Ever_."

Seras nodded again. Part of her wanted to say "I'm sorry," but she was rendered absolutely speechless.

"Third," Integra growled, her fingers tightening into a pair of fists. "He is my slave. He is the equivalent of a dog to me. As I will never love vampires, I most certainly will not love a _dog._ My standards are higher than that, despite your obvious low opinion of me. And while you may find it acceptable to consort with a co-worker, _I _never will."

Those words struck Seras like a stab to the chest. Integra saw the pain in her eyes. For a brief moment, she regretted her harsh words. Vampire or not, perhaps Seras didn't derserve such a verbal lashing. She clearly regretted her words, and felt sorry for saying them. That is a reaction Integra would have never recieved from Alucard. However, as the girl's boss, Integra knew she was entitled to put her back in line. She adjusted her ascot and leaned towards the girl.

"Do we understand each other now, Seras?" she asked, her tone still very serious but softer than before.

Seras nodded quickly once again. Integra nodded back to her. "Good. Now, ready your weapons." she turned away from her and proceeded to the exit. "We've lost communications with the Aircraft Carrier _Eagle_ somewhere near Wales. It may be Millennium."

She stopped in the doorway, then looked over her shoulder at the young woman. To Seras' surprise, a warm smile formed on Integra's face. "And Seras, if you do well on this mission, I will forget this conversation ever happened."

At that, Seras lowered both of her hands. While she couldn't shake the embarrassment, she was grateful for Integra's smallest gesture of mercy. With a relieved smile, she hopped up onto both feet. "Yes, Sir!"

Integra chuckled at her, then continued out of the room.


End file.
